The Travels of Running Tide

Signing Off

Mick Norman

Thu 31 Jul 2014 09:08

RT is now tied up alongside at the Falmouth Visitors Yacht Haven. In fact exactly from where we set off almost two years back. In that time we have visited quite a few countries in Europe, the Lesser and Greater Antilles, the US of A and the Northern Atlantic Islands. We have had lots of good experiences and true to say very few bad ones. The authorities and peoples we have dealt with throughout the voyage have been pleasant, friendly and courteous and left us with a good feeling of their country. We have particular favourites and places we would like to go back to but just at the moment I am looking forward to being at home. Interestingly as we woke up this morning and went up on deck drinking our tea and coffee Norm mentioned that our anchorage in St Mawes was as beautiful as any we had experienced. So there you go, no need to traipse around the world. It’s all here on your doorstep.

RT has held together well. There have been no major failures which have delayed us. All problems have been dealt with on the run without recourse to sending for spares or outside assistance except for occasional sail repairs and the new paint job I had done on the topside over the winter. That was just cosmetic. The crew has held up well too. No major injuries or even minor injuries, no accidents, no men or women overboard thank goodness. I guess that’s as it should be but when you hear of the misfortunes of others we consider ourselves lucky. For most of the time the crew has comprised just Norm and myself. However others have joined from time to time. My wife Pat, a friend Sally a neighbour from Barrington where I live, John Michael who was with us until La Coruna, Spain and for the east to west Atlantic crossing last year Peder Anstrom. Peder went on the row the Atlantic in my old boat this year ending up in Dominica. Well done Peder. There were others on board continually who contributed to the success of the voyage, Vinden our wind generator and the Squid our tow along generator who kept our batteries topped up, the Dolphin our little outboard who took to the water twice in the first couple of weeks of use who powered our ever deflating rubber duck when we weren’t having to row and of course Monica the wind vane steering system. She was a real star, only occasionally having a spat otherwise tirelessly steering us along in some of the most demanding circumstances.

We have cooked many meals on board RT, none of them masterpieces but good wholesome stuff. I have been introduced to various strange foods such as P&Os, cerk and the many and various applications for HP brown sauce. Some food has been on board well before and since we set off and the concept of the ‘best before date’ has been pushed to the limit. I remember the public health lady who came on board in Port Antonio, Jamaica wanted to condemn most of our food stocks. Luckily we talked her out of it.

Many people ask what was the weather like throughout the voyage. On the whole it was quite manageable. Atlantic rollers can be big but they are quite friendly and glide under RT harmlessly. Very hot at time obviously and certainly out in the Caribbean shorts and a tee shirt were the order of the day. The worst weather we experienced was off Finisterre on the way down to the Canaries with winds up to 40 kts and similar conditions off the west end of Cuba but this time more serious due to big seas, the remoteness and the fact that the wind was on the nose. Norm remembers that night well. It must have been bad because I have erased it from my memory apart from the occurrence of the blacked and meanest cloud I have ever seen. Probably the most alarming experience was being knocked flat off St Lucia in a squall in otherwise benign conditions. It must have been alarming as a nearby whale watching boat changed course to check us out. It was all over in a few seconds and we were fine.

With so many fish in the sea it is surprising that they show their presence on the surface so infrequently. We could go for days without seeing any signs of wildlife and any sort. We had lots of sightings of dolphins and times we were surrounding by them jumping and gliding under RT. You felt that they really enjoyed you being there, they are very playful. In contrast to that was the pod of killer whales that we sighted off Haiti who cruised straight past us within about 20 m of RT but totally ignored our presence. The most spectacular whale sighting was off Guadeloupe when a very large unidentified whale and calf breached continually for a few minutes very close to RT. Bird life has been variable, but the graceful shearwaters are our favourites, many miles out at sea, nearly always in the air and never seen to eat or catch anything. The sinister looking frigate bird was another favourite seen around the Caribbean Islands.

The yachtie community on the circuit are almost without exception a friendly lot. We have made a lot of friends on the way, most like ships in the night we will never see again but there are a few that we will remain in contact with. Most run a blog so if we want to we can follow their onward progress. As a large percentage of other boats are moving in the same direction the same characters pop up from time to time at ports down the line so its then good to catch up on their experiences. I guess they are an independent self sufficient lot but come in all shapes and sizes. On the whole the age range is skewed towards the 50/60/70s age range. I guess that age group has the money and the spare time. There are a few families with kids and you have to admire their resolve in keeping the show on the road. Long passages can drag on, but having to keep kids entertaining is a challenge when there might be requests like ‘are we nearly there yet’ when there is still a week or ten days before the next land. There are a surprising number of solo sailors on the circuit also quite a few circumnavigators both solo and couples. What is surprising about these folk is how ordinary they appear doing an extra-ordinary thing.

Little did Norman know that when he signed up to crew on RT from Falmouth to the Canaries it would take him a distance equivalent to halfway around the World. Previous to this voyage Norman and I had never met. I tell people we met on the internet, but before they get the wrong idea I point out that it was Crewseeker. In the time on board we have got on well. Sometimes likened to an old married couple bickering away at each other but getting along just nicely. I’m a bit of a restless sole whilst Norm is a little more rested. That suited us well when I want to go off and do something Norm was quite happy to boat watch. I think he welcomed me clearing off from time to time so that he could relax without me pacing around. However, I don’t think Norm will ever forgive me for dragging him up Soufriere volcano through the jungles of Dominica. I guess it tells you something about our characters that we could get on so well for so long. I’m not sure what Norm learnt about himself during the voyage, he will have to tell you that. I know for sure that I have an unknown talent for mind reading. I must have because I have lost count of the number of times that Norm has said ‘I was just thinking of that’ immediately after I have made a general comment or suggestion!

RT will stay in Falmouth having a well earned a rest whilst Norm and I return to our respective homes with happy memories, nice suntans and of course Norm’s earring. My facial hair, there through convenience rather than preference will probably survive another week before I am forced to shave it off. It is assumed that RT will find it way somehow to the east coast before the end of September but plans for that brief passage are still to be finalised.

This will be the last Blog addition for a while until RT gets itchy feet and heads off somewhere else. I hope that you have enjoyed hearing about the Travels of Running Tide and look forward to having you all on board once again for future adventures. So it bye from me and bye, bye, bye bye...bye, bye from Norm.